Temporary packages are used in the testing of bare semiconductor dice. For example, temporary packages can be used in place of conventional plastic or ceramic semiconductor packages for testing bare dice. One type of temporary package is adapted to contain a single bare die, or a chip scale package, for burn-in testing. This type of package can include a base for holding the die, and an interconnect component that mounts to the base. The interconnect provides temporary electrical connections between contacts on the die and terminal contacts (e.g., J-bend pins) formed on the base. The terminal contacts are adapted to electrically connect to a burn-in board, or other testing apparatus, in electrical communication with testing circuitry.
One method for mounting the interconnect to the base involves wire bonding. With this method, the interconnect includes conductors (e.g., traces) in electrical communication with contact members. The contact members on the interconnect are configured to electrically connect to contacts on the die (e.g., test pads, bond pads). The base includes conductors (e.g., internal traces) in electrical communication with the terminal contacts. Wires can be bonded to the conductors on the interconnect and the conductors on the base to form electrical paths therebetween. These wires are herein referred to as "wires", and their bonded connections are referred to as "wire bonds".
In some cases the wires are made relatively long to provide improved electrical characteristics for the package. For example, aluminum alloy wires used for wirebonding, typically have a lower resistance than the thin film conductors formed on the interconnect. Accordingly, it can be advantageous to make the wires as long as possible, and the thin film conductors as short as possible. This allows test procedures to be performed at higher speeds with lower resistance and reduced parasitics.
One problem with the long wires is that they tend to reduce the reliability of the temporary package. In particular, the wires can be bumped during handling and transport of the package causing sagging and shorting. The temporary packages are designed to be assembled and disassembled multiple times and the wires are often exposed. In addition, the wire bonds on the interconnect or base, are also subject to damage during continued usage of the temporary package. It would be advantageous for a temporary package to include some type of protection for the wires of the package and for the associated wire bonds. This would permit the wires to made as long as possible without compromising the performance of the temporary package.